All of Streetmosphere’s performers are impressive. The musicians invoke spontaneous dancing by people walking past. The dancers draw huge crowds of people to watch and participate. But the visual artists often don’t receive the recognition they deserve. They sit quietly in front of their project for hours, painting, drawing, carving or sewing, and occasionally stop to chat with a passerby. Their craft doesn’t gather as much attention as the noisy musicians or the lively dancers, but the visual artists are just as important to Streetmosphere’s success as any.

Among the performers of this past weekend, some notable visual artists deserve some attention. These visual artists include HalfMoon Arts, Art on Mountain, and Chris Bates.

HalfMoon Arts is an arts apprenticeship program for youth ages 13 to 21. The youth who participate in Streetmosphere all design, carve, and paint totem poles in Oak Street Plaza. They begin with a log that has been flattened on one side. The artists must first shave down the surface of the log until it becomes smooth. Then they draw out their design in pencil on the log and begin carving into the wood. Once it has been carved to their liking, they paint it, mount it, and add any additional features—one of the artists added a tiny strand of lights to her totem pole. The artists can then opt to sell their work to the public and generate a small income.

Art on Mountain is a fine art gallery located on Mountain Ave. just off of College Ave. The gallery features the work of more than 30 artists, all from Northern Colorado. The gallery sends up to four artists to paint for Streetmosphere on each of their scheduled dates. These artists vary in their painting style and in the subject of their paintings, but they all have one thing in common: they are all members of the Artist Association of Northern Colorado (AANC).

Last but not least, Chris Bates both draws and paints murals. His Streetmosphere performances are limited to drawing, but his murals can be seen all around Old Town and Fort Collins. Among others, Chris painted the aspen leaf mural titled “Hard to Leave” on the side of the Enzio’s building, and he painted the mural inside of Big City Burrito titled “Big City.” During Streetmosphere, Chris portrays his talents for drawing very unique portraits. He displays some of his previous work, where he has taken a photograph and converted it into a grayscale drawing of fine lines and pictures. The lines within the portraits tell the life story of the person photographed.

To support these visual artists and the many more that work with Streetmosphere, check the schedulefor their upcoming dates. Don’t forget, Streetmosphere happens every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Old Town and in Front Range Village!

For more information about Streetmosphere artists and schedules, be sure to check out our website or our Facebook page and take our survey to let us know what you think! And don’t forget, while you’re at next week’s event, pick up a guidebook to learn more about our sponsors!